


Skin

by lady_setsuna



Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-03-15 03:22:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13604484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_setsuna/pseuds/lady_setsuna
Summary: After his encounter with the Zeo Crystal, Lord Zedd has been feeling annoyed and misunderstood. His skin is gone, for one, and his magic has changed drastically. Desperate, he summons the infamous witch Rita Repulsa for a deal. Can she help him control these powers? Does she have enough vision and leadership to help him in the war against Eltar? Also, why does he feel strangely attracted to her? It must be the cone bra. Maybe.





	1. Allegiance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At Eltar, space witch Rita Repulsa meets galactic emperor Lord Zedd, whose body has changed tremendously. He now possessed strange magic, and needs intel.

****The East of Eltar was cold and deserted. Her eyes were irritated because of the dust and darkness. Lord Zedd’s military base stood out in the desolated landscape, a snow white bird in a black landscape. Even Rita Repulsa, who had conquered many worlds the past thousand years, realized how strong he had become, and how far his reign extended.

After she had conquered Regda II and enslaved Tarmac III, she had approached his territory. Finally, when she had claimed the moon of Monos IV, he had caught up with her. Though she was still far away from his domain, word of her accomplishments had reached him. He had wanted to talk to her. When she had refused, his minions had caught her and beamed her to Eltar. The minions had claimed her wand and though she was not in shackles yet, they kept a close eye on her and made it clear she had no other option than to meet with Lord Zedd.  

She had heard rumors of him, of course. In the past, she had even witnessed him as a hologram once when he had spoken to her father. She had been a general in Mastervile’s army at the time and her father had been mentoring her. The two emperors had negotiated over the moon near Nova IV. Both had wanted to expand their domain, and finally they had struck a deal. The moon would remain a neutral ground. The two overlords didn’t want to engage in a war, at least not yet. Her father had told her afterwards that Lord Zedd was not to be trusted, that he would eventually come into their territory and claim it. They had to be on their guard. ‘This man is arrogant, Rita, and greedy. If he can claim the entire universe, he will do it. We need to be on our toes.’

Over a thousand years had gone by until recently, stories had started to surface. Lord Zedd had tried to take the Zeo Crystal underneath the surface of the Earth’s moon and had failed. Long before him, Mastervile had tried to get a hold of the crystal, which did not go well. The crystal was powerful. Rumor had it that Lord Zedd had been unable to claim it, but that the encounter with the crystal had left him weakened, and some even said he had perished.

If Rita was to believe these monsters, Lord Zedd was still alive. Rita could only wonder what he wanted from her. Her memories of Lord Zedd were obscure. She had been so young. What did he look like again? She only remembered his cloak, his wand, short white hair, and peculiar armor native to his home planet. What did this emperor want from someone like her? Her realm was small, and not even a true empire  - it was under the protectorate of Mastervile. Was she an enemy now, a force to be reckoned with?

*

The throne room at the centre of the base was fairly empty, except for a large strategic map, made of advanced technology, which took up most of the walls. Aside from the map, there was a throne that Lord Zedd was sitting on, covered in a cloak. She could see his wand and felt an immense power radiating from it. The stories of Lord Zedd’s demise seemed like an exaggeration to her.

In fact, she was afraid, but tried not to show it. His magic felt so strong that it made her feel  sick. She kneeled before him. He had captured her, and she thought it wise to show her respect. At the same time, she peeked around the room. Only three of his minions were present. She could take them easily, if need be.

‘Rita Repulsa,’ he stood up from his throne. ‘Such a pleasure to finally meet you.’ His wand tabbed the floor. ‘You may rise.’

When she stood, she finally had the chance to observe him - she took him all in. His signature wand and emblems gave him away, but he looked different than what she had expected. There was no skin on his body. She could see his organs, and a pattern of silver linings - an exoskeleton of sorts, powered by magic. His eyes, if he had them, were hidden behind a red visual instrument, a piece of eyewear. His body fascinated her. The crystal had clearly mutilated him, but had it weakened him? A short red beam shot out of his eyes towards her. Was he scanning her?

‘Lord Zedd, it is truly an honor.’

‘Daughter of Mastervile,’ he spoke in a grim voice, ‘conqueror of Regda II and enslaver of Tarmac III, I have heard much about you, and your magic. You are the most powerful witch in the galaxy, they say.’

‘I know my ways around magic, but I pale compared to you, my lord.’ She thought it best to stay humble until the cards were on the table. ‘What would you want of a woman such as myself, I wonder?’

‘Have you heard the story of my recent defeat?’

‘Many stories,’ she admitted, ‘and they all contradict each other. In fact, I heard quite some versions in which you perished. And yet here you are, but you are not what I expected. I have seen humanoids from the Nova system, and they looked rather different from you.’

‘You may have heard about my recent accident,’ he told her. ‘I tried to get hold of the most powerful crystal in the history of the galaxy, the Zeo Crystal. It changed me forever. I used to look quite different. There were some side effects though. Some say that I weakened, and I encouraged these rumors. If my enemies underestimate me, it is easier to take them by surprise. The facts are these: my encounter with the crystal only made me stronger.’

Indeed, she felt the magic radiating from him. Ancient, difficult and powerful, but also messy and all-consuming. It was very different from hers.

‘My magic changed, but so did everything else. I feel very little. I only crave for more magic and energy. Everything hurts, but I feel very little pleasure. I need your help. Controlling this magic is difficult and painful. I want to figure out what this means.’

‘My lord, if I may be so bold, it seems like the Crystal cursed you,’  Rita suggested. ‘As far as I know, the crystal was once hidden in the Caves of Deception by the natives of M51. Their technology and magic were quite advanced.’

Lord Zedd looked at her intently. ‘Rita, before you were born, your father conquered the M51 galaxy. One of the reasons why he wanted this territory was because of that crystal, which fuelled most of their civilization.  The power of this crystal is beyond compare. Your father desired it more than anything. The natives hid it well, so that he could never claim it.’

Rita hesitated: ‘I remember my father’s obsession with the crystal. As a child, I often had to listen to his stories about it, but it was an ancient relic. They told many more stories, about the power coins and other objects.  Wasn’t it hidden away until you found it? In fact, Lord Zedd, if you don’t mind me saying so, I think you should have this conversation with my father. He knows a lot about the crystal and this galaxy.’

’He and I are not on good terms, and he does not understand magic the way that you do. I need you to help me.’

She was silent and took him in. This was not a confrontation. He didn’t want to threaten her. The fact that he needed her advice, that she held some power over this warlord, made her smile.

‘So why don’t you tell me about that magic then?’ she said. For minutes, shaking, he described the magic surrounding the crystal, which had been strong, but he had pushed through. Its force field had been so powerful that it had torn apart his flesh. His body had been hurt so badly; magic was the sole thing that kept it animated, alive. It had taken him almost a year to be fully functioning again. As a weak entity, he had drained other life forms, other energies, to revive his body.

He had touched the crystal directly, despite the forcefield, and this had changed forever. This was the part that his enemies had not realized. A new magic had been born inside him, red, destructive, and dark. His encounter with the crystal had blessed him in a strange way.

Rita questioned him about the magic, but she stayed on her guard the whole time. This man was not only dangerous, he couldn’t truly control himself and his new magical abilities.

* 

Finally, he cut to the heart of the matter, the reason he had invited her.

‘I need you to work with me. You are strong, a rising star, and knowledgeable in different forms of magic. I see potential in you, perhaps you can eventually even become my second in command. Don’t worry. I am looking for a partnership, not a fight. You can keep the petty planets that you conquered so far. I have no need for them, and they can be your resources, and remain Mastervile’s colonies. What I need you to do is to study this magic. I want you to investigate the crystal, and if possible, restore my body. When that is finished, I want us to conquer Eltar together. Your army and mine.’

She considered the offer. Holding her wand tightly, she asked: ‘What is in it for me?’

‘Rita, you are so young. What is in it for you? We will claim Eltar. You’ll be under my protection. You’ll operate under my name. Half of the galaxy will be on your side. If you don’t agree to my terms, of course I’m willing to fight you. You don’t want that.’

She observed him. The way he clung to his wand, the way he spoke - he was consumed by dark magic and weakened by his hunger. He wasn’t in control. Perhaps she could take him on. ‘I don’t fear you. You say that the crystal has made you more powerful. But did it really? It made me curious. If you are really as weak and old as they say you are, surely I could take you down right now and take your throne.’

‘You want me to demonstrate my superiority?’ He laughed and immediately struck at her. His cloak fell to the ground. Beam of red magic hit her, but she casted a protection spell. She raised her wand and shot quick beams at him.

‘That tickles,’ he mocked, when one of the beams hit him.

She cast her most aggressive spells, but they did nothing. That’s when he struck, in between her casting, and launched her body towards the wall like a straw puppet. She cast another bubble around herself, but he shot through it fast, and pinned her against the wall. Rita ached. Every part of her body felt tight and she couldn’t breath. Dark red beams shot through her body and it was agonizing. She had no words for this. What was this magic?

‘I am not weak,’ he emphasized angrily. ‘In fact, I have never felt better, and more alive. I want to kill. Just the thought of your blood is…’ She could see how excited he felt, almost aroused, when pinning her against the wall. He pressed so hard that she couldn’t breath anymore. ‘Bow to me, Rita Repulsa.’

'Never.’ 

‘Do you want me to imprison you first?’ he pushed her again, but she didn’t cave. ‘Do you want to make this slow and painful? What will your father say, when I start sending him your body parts one by one. First a finger, then an eye. I heard how he lost your mother recently, and how he has retreated from battle. Weren’t you his heir? I have a lot of intel on your brother as well, but he was a failure right? Condemned to his base on Omega V. Perhaps I can bring him in, and kill him before your eyes.’ 

She looked at the ground and bit her lips. He loosened his grip on the wand and backed away from her. In pain, she fell to her knees.

‘I don’t feel much anymore since that crystal. It has made it easier to hurt people, much easier. Do you want me to break you?’ He touched her chin and lifted her head up. She had to face him, and she could see that he meant it, that there was little human left in him. ‘What do you say?’

‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll be your second in command.’

He let her go an she gasped for breath. She remained on her knees, reached for his hand, and kissed it. ‘I swear allegiance to you, Lord Zedd.’

She looked up. ‘But on my terms. I keep my planets. I keep my own name. I will not deny my father’s name. I will help you conquer Eltar, and I will help you investigate the crystal. But after our siege, and when we obtain the crystal, I want to go back. My family’s empire needs a ruler. I can be your protege, and I will learn from you. Officially, you will be my mentor, and my master, but I will stay true to my father’s heritage. If you ever pick a fight with him, and go on our side of the galaxy, I will stop you.’

Lord Zedd examined her while he paced up and down the throne room. He laughed. ‘I like your spirit. Yes, I can agree to that for now. I don’t care about your part of the galaxy. I have bigger enemies. Dark Specter, for starters. Mastervile is the least of my worries, for now.’

When he realized that she was still kneeling, he helped her up.

‘I will hold an official ceremony tomorrow. You will be my general and, if your work is prosperous, I will promote you to my second in command very soon.’

‘Thank you, my emperor,’ she curtsied. ‘You have impressed me.’

‘That’s not enough though. I want to seal this in magic.’

His wand started glowing. She lit hers. They briefly touched them, and Rita felt her heart flutter. He scanned her entirely, but wasn’t clear about what he saw or read. ‘The spell has been cast,’ he said. ‘When you break our alliance, or betray me, I will know. You will also feel it when I betray you, by the way, so it goes both ways.’

She wondered what betrayal would feel like, to him, or to her. How would she know? 

‘Know that I will be watching you, so don’t get any strange ideas.’

‘Yes, my lord,’ she bowed humbly.

Meanwhile, she already started to contemplate his weaknesses.  


	2. Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rita coaches Zedd in the ways of magic, but his magic is a special brand. Trying to control it is not an easy ride.

 

To obtain information about the crystal, Rita started by contacting her father. He appeared before her as a hologram, and took his time for her despite the wars raging on Gamma Vile.

‘They were very powerful sorcerers, the people of M51. Not many of them remain. Your mother was one of them, Rita. Originally she came from that system too, and married me on Gamma Vile.’

‘Do you know more about their magic? Did mom ever tell you anything about that crystal? Where it was hidden, and what protection spell was cast around it?’

‘Rita,’ he signed, ‘you yourself know most about their magic. Your mother taught you well. I can’t help you. The crystal was hidden from me. I have nothing to tell you.’  

‘But dad, there must be something!’

‘Lord Zedd is dangerous, Rita. Don’t get involved with him.’

Rita spent the next evenings reading through the spell books that her mother had left her, but nothing gave her insights into the force field. Though it mentioned ancient spells and artefacts on occasion, none of these resembled the force field around the crystal or a spell to keep out intruders.

*

In her quest for information, Rita visited many taverns at the edge of the rim, where outlaws gathered. They sold facts and stories, for the right price. Still, none of them had what she desired..

Her travels did not yield many results, until she reached a distant planet, not too far from the Milky Way. There, she found a sorcerer from her system in a shady bar on a small moon.

‘I know a thing or two about the crystal,’ he admitted after she bought him a drink. ‘Eons ago, the people from the M51 galaxy placed a powerful, magical force field around the crystal. This assured that evil-doers couldn’t use it for their own good. It kept out  intruders who were not pure of heart. I am surprised that Lord Zedd reach the crystal at all - it is a rare occurrence for someone to reach the crystal’s inner sanctum. As far as I know, most have perished trying to steal it.’

‘What can I do to break this force field, and the curse that surrounds it?’ Rita asked. ‘Do you have any idea? I can pay you well.’

‘I do have some idea, but it is a dangerous spell. Can I demonstrate it outside?’

They walked across the barren surface of this planet, one which Master Vile had completely obliterated.

‘You were foolish to come here,’ he said. ‘Your father wiped out my friends, my family. Lord Zedd is equally destructive. I wish you would have followed the footsteps of your mother, a true pacifist and freedom fighter before your father got obsessed with her, enslaved her, and completely brainwashed her with his foolish ideology.’

‘Who are you?’ she asked.

‘I have been alive for very long, and I have seen things. I was a senator at Gamma Vile before your father took over.’

She paused, and took him in. ‘You won’t teach me to break the curse, will you?’

‘I want to kill you. Your father needs to be punished for his actions.’

‘Then let’s end this,’ she said, charging her wand.

They fought violently. He was strong, and cast the magic without a wand or aid. He was slow though, and she took advantage of that. WIth full force, she managed to hit him repeatedly. If he hadn’t given her a long speech about the history of their planet, but taken her by surprise, he might have stood a chance.

She had killed him with little effort, and didn’t feel remorse. It had to be done. She had killed many before, and knew that if she would remain an ally of Zedd, many would follow. The stranger wore a ring that fascinated her, and that she claimed. It was beautiful and had old engravings from the M51 galaxy. She had seen a similar pattern on one of her mother’s dresses - it had represented prosperity.

Before she walked away, she closed his eyes and cast a short spell. It was to ensure a speedy travel to the afterlife. Her mother had once taught it to her when her father wasn’t around, and had always insisted she never repeated it in his presence. This was all that remembered from their extinct religion, and it would have to do.

* 

In Lord Zedd’s throne room, she gave a brief with everything that she found. ‘I am sorry that I could not find more. The protection cast over the force field seems permanent. My own father suggested as much. He refused to touch the crystal and fears its magic.’

Lord Zedd responded in anger. ‘I expected so much more from you. We need to break that spell.’

‘Only someone pure of heart can take the crystal. If they have bad intentions, or if we trick them into taking it, it doesn’t work.’

‘Then what can we do?’ Lord Zedd raged. ‘There must be something.’

‘I could help you use this magic, emperor. The magic stems from my own galaxy, before it was occupied by my father. My mother herself taught me the ways of our magic, and it seems to me that your magic is a dark version of ours. It is similar to mine. The protection spell that was cast over the crystal, well, that was our school of magic. Perhaps we can try to practice, and I can teach you to control it, if you’d allow it. If we understand the ways of this magic better, then perhaps we can invent a spell that can help us break the barrier or work around it.’  

‘Be trained by you? A child; my enemy’s daughter?! I don’t think so. You are my protegee, not the other way around.’

‘I understand, my lord. I did not mean to be disrespectful. You already showed me that you were superior in strength. However, I am quite creative with magic, and my offer remains, if you ever want to make use of it.’

‘Leave me be.’

‘As you wish, emperor.’

‘The coming months you will be stationed at the moon base above the crystal, Rita, and you will think about how we can conquer Eltar, and eventually, earth.’

*

Months later, Lord Zedd did approach her in Bandora palace. They had not made much progress in attacking Eltar, but the crystal had been protected, and Rita plotted to expand their territory to the West, where she had already conquered two planets.

She was surprised by Lord Zedd’s visit, and kneeled before him. ‘Emperor, are you here to talk about our siege on Eltar?’

‘No, today I have come to accept the offer that you once made me. To explore this magic together. I need to learn to control it, Rita, or it will be my downfall.’

They practiced for years. Difficult spells from different regions just to see their outcomes. Eventually they found ways to make monsters grow, which Lord Zedd could do without his wand even. While Rita’s expertise was bringing clay to life, Zedd didn’t even need many resources. He had always been strong, but now he could create out of nothing. His magic struck her as dangerous, and she often wondered what the price would be. He had already given up his body and a lot of his energy. She knew that he often felt pain, but he didn’t spell out how much. It was chronic, and he often needed to recharge after their trainings.

She would find rare spells of illusions for him to perform, which didn’t always work. They experimented with changing states and morphing, and also with displacement magic. Sometimes, they created small pocket dimensions and fought in them, in an alternate timeline created just for them. Once or twice, they even created these dimensions for other monsters, so they could observe the effects of their magic. They simulated many battles against Zordon. He did so well that he sometimes hurt them both in the process. It sometimes took ages to recuperate.

The price was always in the pain. He hurt, but he didn’t show it.

They never got his body back, not even the skin. Every experiment with morphin his body went wrong. They managed to build more armor, more silver, more layers of protection. His vision got better. That was about it.

*

One day, he hurt her. He pushed a spell so hard that he didn’t realize the price. He was taking it all from her, all the energy, all the life force, all the heart beats. Small wounds started to cover her body and her legs started to look bruised. She gasped for breath. This all happened in a matter of seconds and she was screaming. Finally, she fainted.

He took care of her the next days, but found his magic lacking. It was dark and couldn’t heal anyone. He got a monster in from a nearby planet called Finster, and his potions were used to heal her. It was not enough, and she didn’t recuperate fast enough.

Her black hair turned white. That’s when they both got scared. Finster stuck around and tended to her, but no one could lift her mood. She seemed tired all day long. The healing process took months in which she slowly built up her magic again. It was like he had sucked her dry. Sometimes Zedd came in to help her stand and walk, and even cast tiny spells.

‘I can’t deal with this anymore,’ Zedd said one day, ‘If you want to use magic, it’s fine. But I’m done experimenting with these spells.’

‘Emperor, it’s not your fault,’ she said. ‘Please, there must be a way.’

‘You are still not healthy. Finster will remain with you until you are. He might be of some use to you afterwards. He’s looking for a career change.’

She sat up in her bed and watched him. He always pretended that he didn’t feel anything, but she could feel his sadness. He blamed himself that she got hurt. He felt incapable and to some extent, he was. He didn’t know the limits of his powers, or how to use them strategically.

‘Lord Zedd, with all due respect, you still don’t control this power at all. If you would just let me help you...’

Lord Zedd ignored her and picked up her wand. He traced the details, the diamond, the etchings. Then he handed it over to her. ‘When you are ready, we have work to do - planets to conquer. It’s time to march on.’


	3. One Thousand Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lord Zedd expands his regime, and Rita faces Zordon.

Eventually Rita was tasked with a new mission - to conquer a thousand worlds. They would raise an army so powerful that getting the crystal would be easy, and then they could use its powers to dominate the whole galaxy. Rita became more dependent on Zedd as his powers grew, and it got more difficult to return home.

The war on Eltar began not much later, when Zordon threatened hem. It was a long war of hundreds of years. They operated from a moon base close to Eltar.

In the war room, Zedd explained his strategy to Rita and his officers.

‘The enemy is advancing here, but the terrain is barren. It would be easy to see them approach our camp. We cannot take them by surprise but we can take our time, boost our morale, and wait for their move.’

‘Didn’t we also have a camp on the south?’ Rita said, pointing at the map. She touched a small pin. ‘Yes, over here. If the enemy concentrates on the base camp, it will be easy to take them by surprise from the south. This army has been fighting for a long time. We have recuperated but they have not. They have few resources in this barren wasteland, I think. This is their weakness. Let’s take advantage of it.’

Lord Zedd didn’t reply, but looked at the map intently. ‘Our base in the south is small. We have underestimated the people of Eltar before. Because they rely on high-tech and magic, they last long.’

‘Our monsters are strong, and the rangers are fighting north.’

‘I am not sure, Rita.’

‘Zordon is north too. They are all distracted. Let me go. I will lead them.’

He looked up from the map. ‘Go, but you’ll have to make do with this one army. We need to defend the north, and the basecamp.’

‘Finster can add to it, and we will prevail.’

He saluted her. She could not tell whether he had faith in her or not, and it worried her.

*

At the camp, she met Goldar, a true believer in their cause. He was leading the monster army, which was composed of slaves from all the planets that she had conquered. She was not very familiar with Goldar himself though. Lord Zedd had taken over Goldar’s planet ages ago, and he had worked his way up in his army. Now the golden monster had been put in charge of her troops.

They discussed the strategy together, and eventually marched the troops north.

What they hadn’t anticipated was the ambush. The rangers stopped them before they reached the base camp. One of them was unfamiliar to her. She fought him in close combat, as her monsters distracted the rangers. He was strong, but she almost overtook him.

‘My name is Ninjor, and you haven’t heard the last of me,’ he said before he beamed away.

*

She had underestimated Zordon. While they had infiltrated Eltar with monsters that were clever, deceitful, and operated from within, Zordon had found power coins and strong allies. They could not reach the camp up north, and eventually, the rangers slaughtered all the monsters in the base camp. This one strategic mistake against Zordon, however, damaged her reputation. It caused great losses. Lord Zedd sent her many messages. It was clear that she needed to step up her game, or there would be repercussions.

Their camps were not strong enough to stand the test of the rangers, Zordon and his allies. In fact, Zordon’s strategy was too strike the monsters at their weakest, to block any roads through which they could get resources like water and food. His army from Eltar knew the terrain well. It was much smaller than the army of Rita and Lord Zedd, but because they took advantage of all the resources, the land, and even underground caves, it was difficult to fight them.

Finally, Rita’s armies were almost entirely annihilated and left depleted of resources. They were simply too strong. The people from Eltar had ancient magic, technology, and coins that could beat the monsters easily.

She decided to solve it herself, and met Zordon at the surface.

‘Rita Repulsa,’ he said. ‘What a pleasure to finally meet you.’ He was tall, and blue. He didn’t look like a powerful warlord at all.

‘Zordon. I have come because I want this to end. Just you and me.’

‘I had hoped for a peace talk. I am not one to fight, as you know.’

‘Coward,’ she uttered. ‘I want to see what you got.’

She shot at him, but he raised his hand. The ground started shaking and a blue wave struck her almost instantly. It was incredibly powerful, and not unlike Zedd’s red magic. With her moon staff, she managed to cast protective magic, but it wasn’t enough. She unleashed magic of her own, but it hardly hurt him.

‘We are a powerful race,’ Zordon said. ‘You have no idea who you’re trying to colonize. You and Lord Zedd destroyed so much, but I won’t have it. This planet is ours.’

He shot another blue wave at her, and she fell to her knees. Zordon was exceptionally strong. It reminded her of Lord Zedd’s magic. Had Zordon himself perhaps used or touched the Zeo Crystal, or a similar technology? Did he have a coin or crystal, like his rangers?

She raised her wand, but before she could shoot him, she could see a red beam hit Zordon, and then another, and another. Was it Lord Zedd? What was he doing here?

Zordon’s blue magic nearly hit Zedd, but he dodged it again and again. She had never seen him so fast. The duel kept going, sparks flying everywhere.

Rita got up slowly, leaning on her staff. They didn’t notice her. When Zordon nearly hit Zedd, she shot a beam at him. That got his attention, but she also realized, when he looked at her, that she had made a big mistake.

Zordon’s magic lifted her off the ground, and squeezed her throat. Her moon beam fell to the ground.

‘Like I said earlier, I’m a pacifist. I don’t care for duelling. Lord Zedd, retreat your army, or I kill the empress.’

‘Let her go,’ he said. ‘Let’s finish this duel like honourable men.’

‘You were never honourable. You enslaved a large number of my people. You committed so many genocides. Both of you tricked so many people. I don’t owe you anything.’ Zordon used his blue magic again, and it sucked her dry. He was making a point. She was at his mercy.

Zedd observed, and finally, he lowered his staff.

‘Will you retreat your army?’

‘For now,’ Lord Zedd said.

‘That’s not what I want to hear.’

‘I will not surrender.’

‘Then I kill her.’

‘I don’t believe that for one second. You never kill, Zordon. It’s against your ideology. You know what. I think I’ll just leave her here. You wouldn’t dare to kill her. I’ll be back, with extra troops, and I’ll tear you to pieces.’

‘Zedd,’ Rita whispered.

‘I’ll see you soon, dear.’ He disappeared.

She felt it then, the spell that he had once put on her, it burned. This was betrayal and it went so deep that it literally tore them apart. She felt the spell lift. She thought it would feel like a relief, but instead, she started to cry. She missed her connection to him, and just felt lonely.

When Zordon imprisoned her, and let her live, it felt like a relief.


	4. Potions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rita tries to fix what has been broken ten thousand years ago.

She was free, but those ten thousand years had aged her. She was cynical now, and heartbroken. Zordon had recruited new rangers, but he was the same. Rumor had it, Lord Zedd hadn’t changed either. While he had expanded his reign, he didn’t control earth or the zeo crystal.

It didn’t take long for him to reach her. He was upset. She had again failed, just like last time. ‘I had such high hopes for you,’ he emphasized.

‘You let me be captured. You completely gave up on me. I don’t owe you anything,’ she shouted.  
‘I knew he’d let you live. It was a bet, and I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, but Zordon had overpowered the both of us.’

‘I can’t believe what you did,’ she whispered. ‘You really hurt me. And now you come here, and you blame me again? I don’t work for you anymore.’

Remember that you are in my space, on my moon. And that you failed.’

‘And yet, you didn’t defeat the rangers either. In ten thousand years,’ she replied. ‘I may be reckless, but you get angry, way too angry. You’ll never become a good leader if you can’t hold your temper. I know why you couldn’t defeat them. They took advantage of your arrogance. Your strategies are predictable because you are weak, arrogant and easily insulted.’

He raised his staff. A spell hit her. It was like she was being ripped apart. He had struck her so fast; there was nothing she could do.

‘You are right about one thing. I am easily insulted.’

She wanted to hate him. The way he looked down on her was aggravating.

‘Please stop,’ she whispered. It was like he was choking her. Her skin seemed too tight, like his magic was pulling it. ‘Please, Zedd.’

He let go. She fell to the ground, and it seemed she wasn’t numb yet, because she felt him catch her, stroke her neck, her hair. She felt him loosen her dress and fixing her, and trying to heal her with warm and gentle strokes. She heard him whisper things in his native tongue, and she suspected they were apologies.

*

That love potion was her last resort. He was unpredictable, and that was a threat to her. She wanted to feel him, touch him, be touched. She had almost convinced herself that it was just a strategic move. It wasn’t. She desired him, and more than that, she wanted to control him.

He was attractive in a bizarre way. That mouthpiece, those muscles, all parts of him interested her. She could look at them forever. Rita admired him. He had come back into her life stronger, and less burdened by the magic than he had once been. While he regenerated, she watched him for many hours. She hesitated. While she didn’t mind manipulation, this felt wrong, even to her. She wanted him. He had been hurtful to her, abusive even, and yet she longed for him. It was twisted. The idea that she could have some sort of control over him, and that he would desire her, aroused her.

The bottle in her hand glowed. She had to do it. In one go, she drank it, and kissed him. The potion stuck to his mouthpiece. This was the first time that she had kissed someone in a long time. The closeness made her shiver. His exoskeleton burned from the recharging. It was hot but she did not mind.

‘Zedd,’ she whispered. His visionary glowed red, a sign that he was awake.

‘Rita, what are you doing here?’

‘I need you.’ She put her hand on his heart. ‘Please. I want to help you. I want to defeat them as much as you do..’

He stroked her face, her cheeks, touched her lips. She blushed a bit.

‘I was so alone. I didn’t even know if you were alive or not,’ she said. ‘I missed you. And when you came back, you hurt me.’

‘Rita,’ he whispered, and he touched her hips softly. Yes, he was eating right out of her hand.

‘Why would you hurt me?’

‘Because I’m attracted to you,’ he said. ‘Ever since i first met you, and it drove me insane. I didn’t quite know what to do with myself.’ He pulled her closer.

‘Really?’ she whispered.

He moved closer, and if he had had lips, this would have been a kiss. Instead his finger slowly traced her lips, and she licked it softly. He touched the back of her neck, and then pulled the ribbons until her hair was loose. Gently, he ran his fingers through it.

He looked straight into her eyes. ‘I think you should be my wife.’

She moved closer to him. Her fingers traced the lines of his exoskeleton. She grabbed his upper arms so tightly, as if she never wanted him to go. He grabbed her wrists and pushed her away. ‘What’s your answer?’

‘Yes, I would love to.’ He pulled her close into a kiss of sorts.

His wand started to glow. He held her hips tightly. It didn’t hurt. It was like he let his energy flow into her. Warm, fuzzy, good. She surrendered. He pushed her, and started undressing her. His touch was gentle for the first time and slow. Once her dress had opened at the back, he traced her spine and eventually her butocks. The whole thing eventually fell to the floor.

She was naked then. He admired her, and even said gentle words, but she didn’t fully hear them. Something bothered her, and it became intense. Was it fear? Yes, she was afraid. And sad to. He had hurt her so often in the past and there was something that wasn’t so easy to fix. This was a sadness so overwhelming, and unlike anything she has ever felt.

He rubbed her arms. ‘You are so cold,’ he said, and then he embraced her fully. His whole body glowed against hers.

What did she do? The potion consumed him and there was no telling what his real feelings towards her were. As she stood there naked, she couldn’t take it anymore. He hated her. There was no way that this could ever be real.

‘Zedd, I…’ she whispered. ‘I forgot something. I… I did something stupid. I gave you this. It’s a love potion. You don’t love me. I… I have the antidote here as well.’

She got Finster’s bottle of the table, anti-love potion that he gave her in case she would reconsider. Rita didn’t even blink. She drank it, and kissed him before he could respond. Then she coughed. He was quiet.

Then, much to her surprise, he softly laughed. ‘You are joking, right?’

‘I’m not. I wanted to be with you but you… you don’t feel anything for me. You just see me as your servant.’

‘You are not my servant. You are my general. You are my teacher in magic. And if you want to, you can be my wife,’ he said. ‘I have never loved anyone like I love you. It makes me uncomfortable. I’m so obsessed with you. I regret that I exiled you, that I hurt you, that I let Zordon capture you. I made so many bad choices. I thought if I would just keep my distance, it would be better for the both of us. But I was a fool. If you can’t trust me after what I did, that’s fine. Then it ends here.’

‘Maybe you should wait a minute until the antidote sank in,’ Rita nervously suggested. ‘I don’t think it’s working yet. There is no way you love me.’

‘I always did. Hey…. Rita, get over here.’ She stepped closer. He held her tight. ‘I want you to be my wife. I really do.’

*

She didn’t talk afterwards but just sank into his embrace. Her hands rubbed his shoulders. What happened next was difficult to comprehend. It was a mix of heat, and magic, and her skin against his warm organs, and armor. He squeezed her butt, her upper legs under her dress.

She loved it. He slowly opened her dress and traced the skin around her neck line. She removed her bra, and undressed further, pulling him closer. Now that her cone bra wasn’t in the way, she could embrace him fully. Her hair was always difficult, but she had one simple magic trick that could undo it, and it fell in long strains around her face. She removed the last ribbons and tied them around his wrists playfully. It was difficult to find out where to kiss him, and where not. She traced his interior, and sometimes touched his exoskeleton.

It wasn’t easy to have sex with someone who was so different, but she came eventually. She wasn’t sure if he did though, and was too afraid to ask.


	5. Transformation Spell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rita finds a spell to give Zedd back his body, and she is very excited to try it on her husband.

They didn’t speak about his body anymore when they were married. She felt that he had somehow accepted it, that the pain had become part of his daily routine. He was still obsessed with the crystal though. Finding it and using it had become a motivation for him. By now, he doubted whether taking the crystal would lift the curse or change him. This had become him now, and he didn’t feel the need to go back anymore. The pain empowered him.

Maybe it helped that she loved his body, and at night, she often held him and touched him. She would embrace him at night, when he wasn’t facing her, and rest her head against his silver spine. She loved to trace that spine. She loved playing with the cuffs on his fingers too. His exoskeleton contained a delicate nerve system of sorts, and was fuelled by magic.

‘We have been married for one year now,’ she said one day. ‘I found you something special.’

‘Did you now, wife of mine?’

‘You always wanted to feel your old body again, and skin. I looked far and wide for a spell that could grant you the experience of skin. This one from Eltar is really interesting, it will grant you a very solid, illusory body for a short time. It is not a changeling spell, but a body that will overlay your own - it will look somewhat transparent, but you’ll feel everything. A kind of ghost body. It will appear like blue magic, not unlike Zordon’s, but it will be pretty. I can make it look like, and feel like, your past self. But only If you want to.’

‘You are insulting me. I have made peace with my body long ago.’

‘If you are sure. I thought you wanted to feel that sensation again of skin. I mean just the other day you said to me that you wanted to really hold me, and kiss me, and you got really upset. I just thought this would be a good thing.’

‘Perhaps it will only make me feel more angry,’ he grunted.

‘Fine, suit yourself.’ She got up and suddenly felt that she had better things to do, like channel her anger into a monster.

*

At night, he came back, after she bathed, and before she went to bed. He touched her hair, her neck, her hands. ‘You are right. I do want to kiss you more than anything.’

‘Do you want to do it?’

‘I do. I made you look for a way to break the curse for so long. And the way I treated you back then….’

‘I don’t mind. You did what you had to do. It was a war, and I didn’t make the right decision. I failed you. And I’m still a failure. I wanted to defeat those rangers for you, but I still haven’t succeeded.’

‘Rita, I am sorry that I sometimes treat you poorly. I just want to say that,’ he touched her hand briefly, and squeezed it. ‘You are not a failure; you conquered so many planets, you did so many great things. You are my wife, and I am proud of you. Marrying you was the best decision I ever made.’

She smiled at him. ‘Thank you. I want you to feel happy. If we try this spell, we should do it because you want to.’

‘I want to,’ he admitted.

‘Good. I experimented a lot with this spell on other monsters to see if it worked. At first,’ she said excitedly, ‘it was just an illusion but as I practiced more, it became quite solid. I send one putty out looking like a human, and even feeling like a human. The perfect decoy. Sadly she didn’t win, but it’s an interesting way of hiding monsters.’

‘In plain sight.’

‘Yes. Should we get started? It won’t take long. Here, put on your cloak, if the spell is effective you’ll be quite naked.’

They got up and she told him to stand still. ‘You need to think about your body,’ she insisted. ‘It doesn’t have to be exact. You don’t have to picture it; you just need to remember what it felt like. It is a combination of an illusion spell but I combined it with an old Eltarian spell of youth. The spell will do the work for you; it will make you look like your younger self. I will let you imagine the body and do the sensing, okay?’

She walked circles around him, casting strange spells, and finally held her wand against his spine. A layer started to form of thin skin, but it was not quite solid and had a blue hue. It wasn’t as blue as she’d expected it to be. It almost looked humanoid but a sickly pale. She had never seen him when he was young, and didn’t quite know if the man who stood before her was him.

‘Look at the mirror,’ she whispered. ‘Is it correct?’

‘It’s amazing,’ he said. ‘Yes, this was me.’

She turned him towards her and took him in. The skin wasn’t quite solid and if she focused, she saw him as she knew him. Above that surface, were fierce eyes with purple, white hair, pale skin. She squeezed him. His skin felt amazing. It didn’t look like human skin but had a grey hue. She was afraid that he would turn out like a parody of humanoids but he looked quite aggressive. If he had been from Eltar, he would have been Zordon’s age, and if he’d been a human from earth, he would have been in his mid-forties. There were some wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. She traced his hands, his lips. She could feel the skin.

‘Do you feel it when I touch you?’

‘Yes, it’s been so long,’ he whispered, and he closed his eyes. She traced his mouth.

‘How about that kiss?’ She pressed her lips on his, and closed her eyes as well. It felt wonderful. They took their time, until she touched him with his tongue and his lips parted. She pulled him even closer and softly bit his lower lip.

‘Zeddie,’ she whispered when they were done. He started to untie her hair fast, then took off her cone bra and unzipped her dress. She gently removed his cloak and then pulled him to the bed.  
‘Do you feel enough when I touch you?’ she pressed her hand against his chest. ‘Here, or here… or here....’ He was already hard. The spell lasted long enough to get them through the night. She was surprised by how sweet he tasted, and by the heat of his skin.

In the morning, he was his former self, and acted sad and grouchy. She knew that he missed his body. Though the spell had done him good, he realized that it had been a powerful illusion, but not powerful enough to restore him or take away the pain. He didn’t thank her but sat on the bed silently, tracing the silver on his arms.

‘Rita, I don’t ever want you to do that again. I’m not a humanoid from Nova anymore, I am a monster. We both need to live with that.’

‘I thought I did you a favor. I quite enjoyed it. Didn’t you?’

‘Get out and leave me be. Go do something useful for a change.’


	6. Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rangers defeat Rita again, but this time, she's hurt really bad. Annoyed by her failures, Zedd finds her and takes care of her.

Every part of her body hurt. She was sore, and didn’t know where she was. When she moved her hands slightly, rocks and grains of sand scraped her fingers. All the surfaces felt cold, though the desert sun was caressing her face, her body. Bruises everywhere, not an inch of magic left in her. She sensed her wand was near, like a blood line. They were connected so deeply that sometimes, when she threw it down to earth, it felt like losing a part of herself. All the energy she put in it went down, like lightning. She couldn’t think straight because her head felt heavy, and sounds ran through it. The sun literally hurt her. She longed for the dark, for the moon.

She couldn’t see much but when she squinted, she noticed her wand, several feet away. It sparkled. She reached out for it but could only stretch her fingers a little bit. These tiny movements were not enough. She was exhausted, and what got to her more were the memories of failure. How could she face him again?

That was when the hands touched her softly. When slow bursts of magic touched her temples, her neck, her shoulders. She could see so clearly now - the cacti, the rocks, even a lizard far away. Her dress was torn and burned so much she was almost naked. Her grey hair was messy and loose. All the fabrics and ribbons that remained started to fade. Magic. It lifted her up, protected her. This was a comfortable bubble that she could stay in forever. Before her consciousness faded, she saw the glimmer of Lord Zedd’s Z.

He carried her far, to a place where there was shadow and some water. He massaged her, and held her close afterwards, but she only noticed flashes of it. Barely conscious, she felt him touch her until finally, she saw him. When she tried to talk, her voice was gone. Her body hurt all over. He rubbed his hands over her arms, her hips, but his magic was not enough to stop it.

‘Zeddie,’ she whispered.

‘Don’t ever do that again,’ he commanded.

‘I know, I know…’

‘If I had known you would take on those rangers by yourself. It was stupid, Rita. How often should I emphasize that you should be strategic? Don’t go to the battlefield blindly. These rangers just gang up on us.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered. Her energy was still poor. Her head rested in his lap, and her body was sore. She was naked. He moved his hands through her hair and looked at the distance, where the fighting had happened, where the rangers had radically defeated her when she came down. She had set a trap but it had failed quite fast. Damn Zordon again, always observing everything, always aware.

‘We are a team,’ Lord Zedd said sternly. ‘I thought we had stopped going behind each other’s backs.’

‘I saw an opportunity and I took it,’ she said softly. ‘We need to take them down when they are weak. When they least expect it.’

‘You observed it poorly and it could have ended badly. You are a valuable resource.’  
His words hurt her, but she gave nothing away. He had treated her terribly after she had given him a different experience of his body, and after they had been intimate. She wanted to prove to him that she loved him; she wanted to earn back his desires and his touches and his affection. She needed him to be proud.

‘Am I a valuable resource to you though? You said it yourself. I needed to be more useful. So I took action.’

‘I was upset last week,’ he said. ‘I didn’t think you’d take it so literally. And I also didn’t think you’d do something so reckless. Why are you always so reckless?’

‘You know that’s who I am. You signed up for it.’

They remained quiet for a while. He re-energized her. His warm hands went up and down, and sparkled in a light red with magic. She felt her limbs again, could slowly start to move her fingers.

‘You were lucky, but remember, you can’t risk your life like that. We have our monsters.’

‘They are weak. We can never make them as good as we are,’ she protested.

‘I believe that we can, but we need to gather more strength and intel. We need to become more powerful first. The crystal.’

‘There we go again, obsessing over the crystal.’

He loved that crystal more than anything, wanted its power, and maybe those power coins too. She couldn’t care less at times. She just wanted this planet and move on. There were other galaxies, with magnificent beings. If they had enough power, they could rule even more. She needed to become a worthy heir to her father. When he was gone, she needed to lead more empires on the other side of the galaxy. His throne would be hers, but before that would be the case, she would claim everything between his empire and the earth. Zedd loved to talk strategy, but never realized the lengths through which she’d go. She’d been trained this way since she was young.

She was a survivor. Even today, when she’d gone after the rangers after they defeated another precious monster. She had worked hard on that one with Finster, and felt hurt. She’d put so much energy into it. Now, she was just tired.

*

‘Do you remember our first mission?’ She moved her head a bit against his chest. ‘It wasn’t that different. When I fought for you against Zordon’s army and nearly died. I gave it my all, and you had to interfere because I went too far. And then we were stranded because we were both so badly hurt.’

‘You were so reckless. This was before we used those monsters.’

‘I toned down a bit since then, didn’t I? Guess it helped that you left me behind to die with Zordon once.’ She laughed and nudged him. He didn’t respond but just squeezed her. Whenever she referred to that situation, all he seemed to feel was guilt that he left her there, and hadn’t fought Zordon to his dying breath.

‘Rita, I don’t know if you truly toned down. You’re a soldier, but you need to learn to truly lead the troops. Emotional decisions are not an option. That got you trapped in the dumpster in the first place.’

‘You get me trapped there, Zeddie, not just Zordon. Owe up to it. You make emotional decisions too. You let your anger guide you a lot.’

‘I think you need to realize that I regret every emotional decision I ever made. I regret that I didn’t help you back then. I regret taking the crystal out of greed. I regret when I act out on you, get with you, and act foolish.’

She looked up and checked if he meant it. His features were always hard to observe. Lowering his shoulders, looking away from her, those were the things that gave away that he was uncomfortable and saying something that he truly meant. She held his face in her hands, looked at him, and planted a short kiss on his cheek.

‘So I am still reckless, you think,’ she whispered.

‘Of course, but you are also loyal and fierce. I’m lucky to have you.’

She blushed and didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t usually honest or kind to her. ‘I like it when you are sweet, Zeddie.’

*

They waited and rested. Beaming up was quite a risk when Rita hadn’t regained her strength. There was a cost to teleportation magic, to restoring your body after displacement. You needed to be fit to achieve it, though she could probably manage, if he lifted her, and magicked them both away. As she petted his arm, she noticed that her hands were different somehow.

‘The wedding ring…!’

‘Yes, I noticed. I think it got lost or destroyed in the fight.’

‘We need to go back for it,’ she insisted.

‘I will go later and search. Don’t worry.’

She felt tears in the back of her eyes, but tried not to show them. ‘I’m so sorry…’

‘You nearly die and you worry about that ring.’ He touched her head gently. ‘Fool. I’ll get you a new one.’

‘Don’t you care about the ring?’

‘I care about you, and having you with me, alive. If Finster hadn’t told me…. Well….’

‘He’s such a rat.’

‘If it wasn’t for him…’

‘Hmph.’

‘All that I’m saying is, if that ring is all that’s lost.’

‘That ring meant a lot to me.’

He touched her hand slightly while both his hands started to glow. It took her a moment to realize what he was doing. He used magic to create a thin ring. There wasn’t much in this desert, except rocks and sand, but a small band started to form around her finger that was strong, and coated with glass.

‘Here you go,’ he put it on her, and she kissed him. First on the mouth, then she moved down trailing his neck, and finally, she traced his collarbone with her tongue. He didn’t respond so she looked up at him, blushing.

‘Thank you.’ It was difficult to read him. ‘Zeddie, thank you. This means… so much.’

He roughly pushed her down, in the sand and dust. She was already naked and let him sink in.

‘I was so worried, Rita,’ he muttered in her neck, before grabbing her hips. She wrapped her legs around him tightly, and carefully touched his mouthpiece. She didn’t have much magic left in her. Was this how mortals felt? Depleted all the time, but always craving for food and sex? She couldn’t quite tell, but she felt his energy go inside of her, and she had never needed it more. He stroked her and his touch made her shiver. The energy was amazing. It vibrated through her.

‘I need you,’ he said softly. She felt like she was caught in a warm bubble, and took it all in.

‘Zeddie,’ she hugged him as tightly as she could. With all strength, she squeezed his back, his arms. Her hands gave off magic, but he told her stop.

‘You are far too weak. That’s enough. ’

When her hands still glowed a bit, he grabbed her by the wrist. She was a bit surprised. ‘Stop it,’ he said, and while holding both her wrists, he pushed her arms down into the sand. His energy surged through her and she felt drunk, and wanted, and warm. She let it flow over her while he was lying on top of her, and stroked the inside of her legs. He pushed two fingers in. Responding to her moans, he increased the pacing of his shocks until she came, then pushed her on her side, and pressed his leg between hers.

It was terribly exciting. The way his fingers digged into her. The sensation of his pulsing organs, the iron taste of his flesh - she wanted him. His warm organs touched her, and so did the cold iron armour pieces of his chest. His mouth and eyes were different from hers, but he responded to her in touches and slight nods. She grinded against his leg and bit his shoulder softly. He groaned in response.

If she couldn’t make him come with her magic, at least she could excite him, warm him up, pleasure him. He ran his hands through her hair, which was dusty and tangled from the battle. He pulled it slightly while she moved on top of him. She came, and she had no idea what to do - how to make him feel, how to make him come. How could she make it clear to him that she loved his body?

*

Gently, she planted a kiss on the corner of his mouthpiece. Almost immediately, his hands traced her back and started to glow. There was a light that dazzled like electricity that embraced the both of them. It was a spell that she couldn’t place, like so many of the spells that he only used on occasion. There was something unexpected to his magic as well, something weird and unpredictable and old.

‘Rita,’ he said, as the wave of electricity flushed over them. It was a pleasure that she was unfamiliar with. Buzzing, eerie, but also enjoyable. The air was filled with it and seemed almost alive. It was not dissimilar from goosebumps, but warmer and stickier and muddier.

The glow surrounded the both of them, and he also seemed affected by it.

‘What is this?’ she muttered. The magic got thicker. The air felt humid, and she couldn’t breath well. It suffocated her. This energy nibbled her in an erotic but slightly irritating way, like it was eating her alive. She could see him, holding her, but pressed her face against his chest. She didn’t want him to see her teary eyes, or to notice how weak it made her.

‘I…. I am not sure,’ he admitted. ‘I am not doing this intentionally. Well, not quite. Should I try to stop it?’

‘No,’ she muttered. ‘It’s, wow, I mean, it’s unlike anything I ever felt.’

‘Close your eyes,’ he said softly. ‘I’m in control.’

*

She made small movements because the energy tickled, and scratched. She couldn’t quite tell if it hurt or not. Whatever this magic was, it consumed her entirely. Like his desire and feelings had somehow been given a physical weight, a presence. She felt that somehow it described his love for her, which wasn’t always good, but also hungry, needy, stubborn and dominant. It lasted until there was a sort of explosion of energy between them. She could feel her body being pulled back to the ground, while he rolled off her. This form of pleasure wasn’t unlike an orgasm, and maybe it could be captured as a form of it, but it had appealed to her in a new way. It was alien, and beautiful, and she wanted to feel it more often.

Once it stopped, Zedd breathed heavily and seemed quite still.

‘Are you okay?’ she whispered, and she held him. ‘Did it hurt you?’

‘I am unsure where that magic came from, and what it was.’

‘It was vaguely familiar,’ Rita responded. ‘I quite enjoyed it. Was it your magic? DId it respond to mine? So fascinating.’’

‘We should have sex more often, don’t you think? Find out how this works,’ she was grinning.

‘I would love to,’ Zedd said. That meant a great deal to Rita, since he hadn’t seemed as interested in sex as her during their marriage. Also, he had gotten so upset during their experiments with skin, that she felt she couldn’t really be close to him. Now, there was a sense of progression again.

‘Are we good now?’ she asked. ‘No more sulking?’ She poked him and smiled.

‘Witch,’ he pulled her hair softly.

‘Hm?’

‘I love it when you laugh.’

Rita blushed. She wanted to lean into him, but didn’t.


	7. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rita has a talk with Finster, who shares his doubts about her marriage to Lord Zedd.

Monster

When they arrived at the moonbase, Zedd covered her body, and wrapped her the first blanket he could find. It didn’t take long before their minions found them, and started to intervene. After an intense battle, they loved mothering her. 

Finster took care of Rita while Zedd was recharging his energy. The sculptor had cooked food, and provided her with drinks. Wrapped in the blanket, she looked small and worn. She looked forward to a bath and then bathing, after she’d consumed this food. Her hair was loose. She didn’t want to get dressed properly, since she still felt weak, but she caught Finster staring. He usually saw her in big dresses and with lots of jewelry. 

‘We were so worried. When Lord Zedd had heard what you had done, he immediately teleported to earth. Goldar tried to stop him, but I encouraged it. We can’t risk losing you, my queen.’

‘I’m fine, Finster, really. I survived, I always do. I don’t need all of you to constantly fret over me. I won so many battles.’

‘You did, my queen.’ 

‘Even though I was imprisoned for ten thousand years, I still rule several planets, and my father has colonized entire systems.’ 

‘I know, my queen.’ 

‘I don’t want to be treated like I’m just…’ 

‘My queen, I know the rangers aggravate you, but putting yourself at risk is never a good thing.’ 

‘I’m a strong fighter and quite capable, thank you very much.’ 

‘I know, but we don’t want to lose you.’ He looked up at her. ‘You are our family. You have been even before Lord Zedd was here.’ He touched her hand gently, and poured her some wine.

Rita stared at the clay putties and other things in their workshop, where she was eating. This was their family. Finster’s art and creations brought some life to the place. She had been doing a lot of thinking lately, but didn’t have many opportunities to talk to Finster one on one these days. His advice mattered to her. She respected him immensely. 

‘Finster…’ she asked him softly. ‘Do you think I made a mistake in marrying Zedd? Monkey face has been a bit distant and rude lately. He disapproves of the marriage and of me. I let him down.’ 

‘Goldar can be difficult, my queen. I for one think you are a good match. Zedd seems to genuinely care about you. I recognize that that wasn’t always the case.’ 

‘What do you mean?’ she asked, feeling insulted. 

‘I remember your love as one-sided once. Back in the days when he was your boss, and you always tried to go the extra mile for him. You wanted nothing more than his recognition and we could all see how much you cared about him. But you didn’t see it or recognize it yet. And you also didn’t see how he abused that love. You were just a shield to him, a tool.’

Hearing these words hurt Rita. She realized that their past wasn’t a happy one, but had it been this bad? It struck her that Finster was perceptive, in a way that felt intrusive. 

‘When you failed him, he got rid of you,’ he concluded. 

She played with her food a bit, and looked up at Finster. He was right about so many things, but he didn’t see the depth of her feelings. Hadn’t Zedd changed? Hadn’t he just risked his life for her? 

‘Do you really think that in the past he didn’t love me?’ she whispered.

‘Perhaps he did, but in a different way than he does now. He loved to hurt you.’ 

‘Finster, there was this one time in the past, when I was on that Xero-1 in the Gamma galaxy, and he helped me. He saved me. And I remember him holding my body and warming me up. Just like today. Finster, today he was so sweet. I have never seen him act so sweet. I think there is hope for us. I’m willing to let down my guard from time to time. This marriage isn’t just convenient to him.’ She touched her wedding ring. ‘This is a new start.’ 

‘My queen, have you forgotten how he let Zordon trap you? How upset you were? You lost ten thousand years because of him.’ 

‘I need you to accept Zedd. We need the support of all of you. I want us to be one family. Finster, do you feel that Zedd fits our family?’ 

‘Yes. But I would be somewhat careful. You are a survivor. He’s a monster. He is cunning. He has been unkind to you before. I find it admirable that you forgive him. Still, you are not enchanting him anymore and it might be good to remember that he is known as a ruthless man. He tortured many. His magic is dark. He lost most of his body to the crystal and put it back together with dark forces.’ 

‘What are you saying, Finster?’

‘I don’t want to see you get hurt. If anything happens, I am here for you. To make potions, monsters, spells, anything.’ 

That night she watched Zedd regenerate and sat across for him for a long time. Was Finster right? Did she marry a monster?


	8. Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wizard of Deception deals in spells, but they come at a high price. What is Rita Repulsa willing to pay?

The weeks after, Rita felt insecure. She didn’t quite know how to treat her husband, or what to say to him. They were defeated several times by the rangers, and it was bothering the both of them. She needed a plan. Skimming her mother’s books, she looked for the most interesting spells, ideas and histories of the universe, but most were not useful. It took her a long time to get what she needed. She found a note of a spell that reminded her of an ancient being, a wizard who dealt in dreams and who had once aided her mother.

At the outer rim of the galaxy, she found him.

‘Thank you for doing business with me. This spell will help you fight the rangers,’ the hooded figure known as the Wizard of Deception explained. He handed her the scroll.

‘Fantastic.’

‘Empress, you paid me in dreams and in inspiration and in potions. In them, I saw your desires. You want your husband to be whole again.’

She remained silent. Was that her true desire? She considered it, but she thought that she only wanted it for him. To ease his temper, to make him feel powerful again.

‘Humanoids, you are so good at fooling yourself,’ the Wizard responded. ‘I saw it in your dreams. You want to adore him, kiss him. You have a fear inside you that, perhaps, you are not aware of yourself. The fear that he’s a monster, who will hurt you again, dispose of you again. You desire a husband that is loyal, humanoid, that you can touch and love, so that he stays with you, so that he doesn’t betray you.’

‘No, no I don’t think that’s true,’ she whispered.

‘Then why do I see your pain and fears? And tell me, what do you think you are afraid of?’

‘I’m not afraid. No enemy has ever gotten the best of me,’ she said proudly.

‘And yet you are in a constant battle with yourself. The fear that your sex doesn't please him. That you aren’t giving him what he needs. That he’ll leave you, because you can't have children. Empress, you may have colonized many planets, but deep down you are also a woman, and your heart is in pain. You must love him, because this confusion runs deeper than anything you ever felt.’

‘You don’t know me.’

‘Perhaps not, but I know your dreams. I have them here, all bottled up. You gave them to me in exchange for a weapon against the rangers. I know what you want.’

‘So what is it that I want, exactly?’ she asked him, while petting the rangers scroll.

‘You want him to be a humanoid again and whole. You want to see his body restored, and you hope that in that process, his temper will follow suit. It must be difficult dealing with him from time to time.’

Rita considered it. She knew how much Zedd longed for his body still, even when he didn’t show it.

‘Will he remain as powerful as he is? Will his magic stay?’

‘I think so, he is gifted. It is hard to remove magic from a person. But it is easy to change the body and the appearance. Simple mutation, not too different from the spell that was cast around the Zeo Crystal. It is just a reversion of the curse that they placed around it, but it won’t undo that he touched the crystal and has seen its power.’

‘Name your price,’ she said.

He folded his hands and rested his chin on them. He seemed to consider a multitude of options, but when he named his price, he was certain: ‘I want your child.’

‘My child? We don’t have children.’

‘Ah yes, not yet. Believe me, a child will come late, and it will be a surprise that you get a child at all. That child will be raised by me. It would be interesting to raise the heir of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. Think about it well. I happen to know that you will only get one child.’

‘Wizard, my husband and I are both creatures of longevity, but we are not young. We are of a very different species. We will never be able to get a child. We can create one, perhaps, but we can’t birth one.’

The wizard laughed. ‘You overthink this. In the future, you will perhaps find a way. If you do, I want that child. And you are right. What are the odds that you will get a child? The chances are very slim, like you say.’

‘If I give this child to you, will you raise it to be powerful and evil, like us? Will you mentor it, and make sure it follows our footsteps?’

‘Oh, it will be evil, I will make sure of it. I will advice it accordingly. You see, I also long for an apprentice in our ways, and who would be more suitable for my path than your child? A combination of both of your magic schools would be so interesting to work with. But again, it’s a hypothetical scenario. Like you already said, you are incompatible species. Even if we restore your husband’s body, the odds are small.’

‘And if I give you this, you will grant our wish? His body?’

‘No problem.’

‘Where can I sign, Wizard?’ she grinned.

*

That night, she wanted to surprise him. She considered taking him somewhere private, one of their planets, and showing him all the glorious spells that she got. But travelling was inconvenient and she couldn’t wait.

Eventually Rita settled on a place under the moon palace, in the caves. There was one area, in the south, where there was fungus growing thad had a hue, and magical qualities. She picked some, while they talked about this and that. In the dark, she found this environment rather beautiful.

As they walked, Zedd updated her on a couple of the colonies and their politics, and she told him about her history, and her ambition to take over a solar system nearby after they had finally captured earth. Zedd made her laugh a bit too, about a scene that Goldar had made that day when the rangers defeated him in a theme park. He came back, covered in popcorn and candy. Despite the jokes, she felt nervous.

There was a small underground lake nearby, where she stood still.

‘Zeddie, there is something I want to tell you. I got us the spell today,’ she said. ‘Two actually. One to defeat the rangers in due time, but it takes some preparing. And another one.’

‘Another one? Don’t tell me, you want to look a bit younger again,’ he laughed and nudged her. When she remained silent, he quickly apologized. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. You’re beautiful.’

‘Old man,’ she smiled coyly.

‘So what kind of spell then?’ he asked.

‘I went to the Wizard of Deception. And he offered me something amazing. With this spell,’ she magicked the scroll into her hands, ‘I can get you your body back.’

‘You struck a deal with the Wizard of Deception? What has gotten into you?! Haven’t you heard about him? Even when he grants your wishes, it never works in your favor. There is always a catch!’

‘I wanted you to be happy! I wanted you to feel whole again,’ she said. ‘I did it for you.’

‘What did you sacrifice?’

‘Truths, expensive potions.’

‘I don’t believe that for one bit,’ he shouted. ‘I have met him, and I know what he is known for. A simple spell against the rangers might have been cheap, but this is my body. You did not sell any of your feelings, or make promises about our future? Rita, what did you give up?’

His anger surprised her. ‘Don’t get angry, he deals in truths and lies. Bottles them up so that he can become even better at deceit.’

‘You didn’t give him anything else? Rita, talk to me.’

‘I promised him that… if we were ever to have a child, that I’d give it to him.’

‘Are you insane?! Damnit, Rita!’ He walked away from her, cursing in his native language, and finally pushed his hands against the wall. He ignored her for a while. She wanted to approach him, but she also knew that when he was truly upset, it was best to leave him alone. And she wasn’t even sure if this was anger. Zedd seemed truly defeated. What did he look like when he was sad? Was this it?

When he returned to her, eventually, his voice trembled. ‘I can’t believe that you did this. Why did you do this?’

‘I thought it was alright. What I gave him wasn’t even a gift. It is a future that will never be. We talked about this before. We’ll never have children, at least not biologically. We can’t have any; we are incompatible species.’

‘Your father and mother were very different, but they found a way to get you and Rito. I was looking into it, as the matter of fact. I want an heir. Rita, there is so much that we can do with magic.’

‘Magic,’ she said. ‘Yes, I suppose the possibilities are endless. But Zedd, don’t be fooled. It is dangerous. Do you really want to risk all of this for a child?’

He remained silent.

‘We could always adopt; I don’t think adoption was included in his plan,’ she joked.

‘Just….Could you leave me alone for a minute? I don’t understand why this is like a joke to you. Why don’t you take our future seriously? I want a child. With you. I always did. I thought that I had made that clear.’

‘How was I supposed to know this? I didn’t take that for granted. We never really talked about it. And when we did, it was always in impossibilities. I didn’t realize that you were exploring...’ She put her hand on his, and realized that she was crying. ‘Oh, Zeddie.’

‘I meant it when I said that you should leave me alone. I want to consider the nature of whatever this marriage is. Perhaps I should have spelled out that I take this relationship with you very serious. That I have dreams with you - dreams that you sold for cheap.’

‘I didn’t see it like that. I wanted to give you back your body. You are in pain; this is your wish.’

‘That hasn’t been my wish for thousands of years. My wish is to do right by you and to give you the world’

‘Then why were you so upset when I gave your body back to you. After we had an amazing time, and you just… sat there in the end, sobbing?’

‘Rita, I was angry because I can’t please you in this body. Because I can’t give you whatever it is that you want. You made that painfully obvious. And now you again want to change me. But we can’t undo this thing that happened to me. I am mutilated, and ugly, and whoever you think is in here somewhere, that person is gone. I am upset because I thought I made my peace with this, and you want me to constantly revisit the past.’

‘Well, clearly you are not over it yet, otherwise you would accept the past, instead of always grieving for it.’

‘You don’t understand me at all. Just go. I was a fool to even consider that this could work. I should have known. You are the daughter of my worst enemy, after all.’

‘Don’t bring my father into this. You wanted me in your life because of him, not despite of him. That’s how we got involved in the first place.’

He didn’t respond.

‘Well, guess I’m going,’ she said. ‘We can talk about this when we are less upset.’

‘Good, and until then, don’t use that scroll. He is a master of deceit. Whatever this will become, it won’t be my body. It will just be smoke and mirrors again. This curse is permanent. We can lift it temporarily, but this is who I am. If you can’t accept that, it might be best if you leave me.’

‘Zeddie, don’t overreact.’

‘Overreact?! You sold our child for a cheap magic trick! You think I’m going to be fine in ten minutes? I won’t be! Do you realize what you gave up?’

‘I…. I think it’s best if I go to my father for a while... Do you mind if I just hold you?’

He remained silent for a long time, and then slowly embraced her. When she cried in his arms, he gently whispered things that she didn’t understand, but there were a few in there that he had taught her. Dearest, my girl, and heart.

‘I love you very much,’ he finally said. ‘And that’s why I can’t forgive you.’

‘Goodbye then, Zeddie. I love you too.’ She smiled sadly, as she tapped her moon staff and beamed away.

*

She took her bags quickly to go to the other side of the galaxy.

‘ Finster, you are with me. The rest of you guard the palace until Zedd returns.’

‘What’s going on, empress?’ Squatt asked.

‘Nothing important. I just need to see my father for a bit.’ She held back her tears, and handed over the scroll to Goldar. ‘Preserve this spell against the rangers well. And… take care of Lord Zedd, please? Goldar, everyone?’

The monsters watched her leave in silence.


	9. Destruction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The curse upsets Rita. Will she find a way to break it?

The dinner table in Mastervile’s palace was huge. Her father sat far away from her, begging her to talk.

‘Of course you are always free to show up unannounced, daughter, but I see something is bothering you. Why are you here? You don’t visit often, and always with a purpose.’

‘I don’t want to talk about it.’

‘You don’t want to talk? What are you, two hundred years old? Come on, you can trust your father.’

‘Zedd and I got into a fight,’ Rita said quietly, and as she assumed, her father was more pleased about it than she was.

‘Ah, have you finally divorced my nemesis? Good, I knew that wouldn't work. So much bad blood runs between our families.’

‘Daddy, it’s complicated. I made a big mistake.’

‘I’m sure it’s all his fault, he’s such an idiot.’

‘Can I be excused?’ She said, leaving her food unfinished. ‘I want to be by myself a bit.’

‘Sure, use the guest room. Rito moved back in recently, he’s in your room.’

‘He moved back in again?!’

‘Well, he isn’t as bright as you, my lovely, smart and powerful daughter. You are feared across the galaxy! Rita, you make your father proud. Let’s toast on it.’ ’

Rita got up without saying anything. It upset Mastervile, and she heard him shout at her. Was that what it meant to have children? They would always depend on you, and you would depend on them for your happiness. Perhaps it was good that she would never have one now.

*

In the guest bedroom, she undressed and went straight to bed in tears. Finster had travelled with her and came in late, presenting a clay figure to cheer her up. It didn’t work.

‘Are you sure that you don’t want to confide in me, my queen?’

‘Not yet.’

‘I hate seeing you upset. I will be in your father’s workplace in case you need me.’ He also put a potion at her night stand. ‘If you want to, it would be worth drinking this. It will make you sleep instantly.’

When he left, she played with the bottle in her hands. Zedd had been right. She hadn’t thought this through. And what’s worse, she had completely misunderstood him and his intentions. She had failed him so often as a general, but it hurt her even more deeply to have failed him as a wife. Why hadn’t she just talked to him? Late at night, when she was still nervous and upset, she drank the potion.

*

That morning, her brother came in when she was having breakfast in her room, mostly to annoy her and to get some updates.

‘Sis, I have never seen you so defeated. You are a war lord, and you are strong. What’s going on?’

‘Rito,’ she finally said. ‘I made the biggest mistake of my life. Just leave me alone; I’m not well.’

He surprised her by sitting down next to her, and holding her shoulder.

‘I made a lot of mistakes, Rita. Tons. I am not as smart as you. Maybe you’d like to talk with me about it?’

‘Well, I guess I could tell you that I struck a deal with the Wizard of Deception. A really bad deal. I paid him too much for a spell. I risked my whole life and future.’

‘Oh, even I have heard of that guy. A powerful creepy dude. But don’t you pay him in promises?’

‘Yes, I have to give him something in the foreseeable future.’

‘Can’t you destroy the spell?’ Rito suggested. ‘Surely if you destroy it, you don’t have to pay?’

‘I’m not sure if you can destroy his spells.’

‘Only one way to find out! Well, it’s fun seeing you again. Enjoy breakfast! I’ll be out training with my boys! Dad still wants me to lead an army some day.’

Rita smiled. ‘Maybe one day you’ll learn, you big dummie.’

‘Aw, thanks, sis!’

Destroy the spell? She got out of bed and held the scroll. Not a weird idea. Not bad at all.

*

She didn’t even bother to get dressed and do her hair. In her long black nightgown, she ran to her father’s library. The wizard’s magic was powerful and hard to find information about. All that she could find was that those who didn’t honour the contract, or tried to break it, ended up paying an even higher price. The wizard always found them. She couldn’t find evidence of someone who had tried to destroy the spells, but it would require a great magic. Of course no one would have tried, since few even knew magic this powerful. One of the shelves, she found a few spellbooks of her mother. She skimmed them quickly for the most unorthodox destruction spells.

Finally, she ended up taking many of the books to her room, so she could explore them further. The scroll was right there, glowing. She sorted out the spells that were particularly destructive against illusions and dream magic, but the species that the wizard was, and his exact magic school, were hard to determine. One spell in particular, which could break through binding magic and contracts, including blood oaths, seemed applicable to her.

She looked down at the scroll. How hard could it be? If she destroyed it, there was a small chance to fulfill their future. She could win him back. At the very least, he would talk to her again. Then they could have those difficult conversations, about all of the things that they wanted, maybe not not now, but eventually. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be ready to have a child with him. It just wasn’t in her system, and not something she’d ever envisioned herself doing. But at the very least, they could discuss it. Maybe things could be fixed, if they just were honest to each other.

After she made the necessary preparations, she cast the spell. It seemed to work, but only for a brief moment. A green light emerged then, and she fell, lost in dreams.

Finster found her not much later.

*

Lord Zedd came bursting in, throwing open the door like he owned the palace.

‘What have you done to my wife?’ he shouted. ‘You!’ He pointed at Mastervile who stood by her bed, next to Finster, who was taking care of her.

‘Instead of shouting at me, you should be grateful. We are doing all we can,’ Mastervile replied. He was holding Rita’s hand. ‘Look, I hate to say this, but she needs you.’

‘Rita, oh, no….’

He stood still and noticed Rita’s cursed body on the bed. She looked horrible. Finster was standing next to it, rubbing a lotion on her. What had happened to her, shocked him. Her veins were flowing with red energy, not dissimilar from his. She looked pale and dead. Her long white hair fell over the bed, and almost touched the ground.

‘Stop touching her,’ he snapped at Finster, as he said down at the edge of the bed.

‘This might soothe her,’ Finster said.

‘Then let me do it. I don’t want you to touch her.’

‘She is cursed, sir, I really wouldn’t…’ Zedd grabbed the lotion, and started to rub it over her arms, her fingers. It made her skin glow in a strange way. He wanted to comment on it, but then decided that he trusted Finster.

‘She touched the scroll,’ Finster explained. ‘But I don’t think she used the spell. You still look the same. My assumption is that she tried to destroy it, but failed.’

‘Could you please leave me alone with her for a minute?’

Mastervile did not comment, and left, but Finster stayed, hesitant.

‘Lord Zedd, do you mind if I speak freely, sir?’

‘Proceed.’

‘You don’t deserve her,’ Finster said. ‘She would do anything for you, and you always let her down. You are never clear about your goals, wishes or aspirations. You lead her astray, on purpose. One would even think that you might have sabotaged your relationship on purpose, because deep down you feel that you are not worthy of love, or of her.’

‘Finster, I don’t appreciate your tone. I love her, and I would never do that to her. You blame me? That’s interesting. You should have stopped her from doing this. You were here, and you were supposed to take care of her. You know a thing or two about magic, and you just enabled her.’

‘You should have seen her, before she did this. She was a mess,’ Finster said in a dark tone. ‘I was married once, and I would have done anything for my wife. And I would do anything to get her back. I will give Rita potions and prolong her life the best I can, but you will be the husband that she needs. You will find this wizard, and find a cure.’

Zedd wanted to protest, but then he looked at Rita and he knew, he was partly to blame.

‘I will go visit the wizard and bring him back here. He’s the only one who can explain this, and fix this. Now Finster, I really need you to leave me alone for a minute.’

‘Alright, sir. Just don’t forget that the lotion should be smeared everywhere, particularly where the main arteries are.’

‘Go,’ Lord Zedd commanded.

*

He observed her quietly at first, and held her hand tightly.

‘Dearest, I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry.’ He rubbed the lotion on her arms, her belly and went up. ‘I love you. You are everything to me. I was so upset. I couldn’t straight. I never meant for you to….’

He arranged her pillow, and touched her cheeks, her lips.

‘I need you back. I pushed you to this. Rita, and I was a fool - you are everything to me. There is so much that I still want to say to you. Please hold on. I will get this wizard, and he will cure you. I will pay any price. Even my own life, if I have to. You are my world.’

When he got up, and closed the door, he said to Finster, Mastervile and Rito: ‘Keep her safe. I will be back soon with that wizard.’

‘Don’t get too upset, sir. We need him to break the curse!’ Finster commented.

Lord Zedd didn’t respond and left in a red flash of magic.


	10. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lord Zedd faces the Wizard of Deception, but the confrontation is far from easy.

In another part of the galaxy, the wizard expected Lord Zedd. He even poured him some wine and let his servants welcome him. One quick red beam shattered the two glasses on the table.

‘Welcome, Lord Zedd. I see that you are upset?’

‘You! You nearly killed my wife.’ He shot one red beam at the wizard, who teleported away and appeared at Zedd’s side.

‘Let’s take some time to discuss this,’ the wizard offered. ‘We have a business agreement, I am sure we can work something out.’

Furious, Lord Zedd launched another beam at him which the wizard deflected.

‘I am not too keen on fighting, but that is what you wish,’ the wizard courtesied, ‘then here we go.’

Beams and shockwaves went through the large, luxurious hall in which they had met. The wizard was extremely quick, and managed to hit Lord Zedd multiple times. Zedd didn’t give in. He kept sending beams and powerful shocks to the wizard, but to no avail. He was much faster than Lord Zedd. If this being wanted to, he could rule the galaxy. In a way, he already did, but behind the scenes, as he prefered it.

The wizard appeared behind Lord Zedd, and tased him with multiple quick purple shock waves.

Lord Zedd fell to his knees, but managed to hit the wizard in the process. The being was hardly hurt.

Annoyed, the wizard launched one large wave which left Lord Zedd in pain. It lasted for minutes, until he fainted.

*

When Zedd finally woke up, the wizard was seated in a chair next to him, drinking his wine and observing him.

‘I had expected a bit more pezaz from the mighty galactic emperor Lord Zedd.’ He took another gulp of his wine. ‘You are pathetic.’

Zedd grunted, but his head was too heavy, and his chest hurt. He’d never felt so old and fragile.

‘Look, I understand where you are coming from. But this galaxy is ruled by beings much more powerful than you, and those silly humans.’

Zedd found it hard to reply and clung to his chest.

‘You’ll never defeat me. I’m much older, stronger and wiser than you. If you want to honour our deal, which your wife tried to break by the way, prove to me that you love her. That’s enough. I will keep your future child. You will keep your current body. Rita lives. We stick to the status quo.’

‘What do I need to do to prove this?’

‘Oh, that’s easy, just let me tab into that feeling by magic.‘ The wizard looked ominous, and quite visibly seemed to crave for that feeling. ‘I sense it already. How strong it has become, your love for her. Quite remarkable, considering your species, and heritage.’

‘You rob people of their dreams, of their emotions. I can’t allow this.’

‘I only want to see it, analyze it, and perhaps try to replicate it,’ the wizard held his hand in front of his heart. ‘You have my word that I won’t take it or change it. I always keep my word.’

Lord Zedd hesitated, and finally nodded.

*

The magic was warm and possessive. It went through him and questioned him, deeper and deeper. He felt it swirl past his heart. His whole body felt light - it almost seemed to float. He needed to surrender to it, that was how good it was, and how urgent.

And then it stopped.

*

‘I know enough,’ the Wizard said. ‘What an interesting shade of love. A bit dangerous too. Sometimes you were jealous of her, and wanted to hurt her. These moments used to be there a lot. Belittling her gave you a sense of power. But it changed, didn’t it? Now you want to protect her, and want what is best for her. You blame yourself for a lot of things, for the hurt that you caused her.’

Lord Zedd didn’t care much for being evaluated by someone else. It made him feel vulnerable, and that annoyed him.

‘You don’t compete with her anymore, not in the unhealthy way that you used to do. You believe that you can make each other stronger. You have doubts. Does she realize that you are a team? Why does she sometimes decide things without consulting you? Does she respect you? These are important questions. If only you knew how to answer them.’

‘Stop it. I gave you what you wanted, give me back my wife.’

‘No problem. I will break the curse, but because your wife hampered with the spell, and tried to negate its effects, our deal still holds. Should you ever get a child, it is mine, and I will raise it like it was my own.’

‘I gave you what you wanted, my emotions.’

‘And they are interesting, but remember, your wife broke our contract. My deal with her stands, and she should consider herself lucky.’

Lord Zedd felt enraged, but he also realized that he could not defeat the wizard, and even if he did, it could result in Rita’s death.

‘When will you wake her, then?’

‘Right now.’ Magic spiralled across them, and a beam shot all the way to the other end of the universe.

*

When Zedd arrived at Mastervile’s palace, the monsters were all sitting at Rita’s bed side.

‘How is she?’ he asked.

‘Awake,’ Finster said, happily. ‘Whatever you did, it worked.’

He sat down at the side of her bed. ‘How’s my dearest girl?’

‘Zeddie,’ she whispered. ‘I’m so sorry. I caused you so much pain… I can’t believe that you went to the Wizard. Daddy told me. What did you give him?’

‘Don’t worry about it. He’s upholding our deal. The spell is annulled.’

‘I don’t believe you,’ she smiled.

‘You’re alive, and I love you. That’s all that matters. You need to rest.’

Tears formed in her eyes. ‘...I feel so tired.’

‘Go to sleep, I will watch you.’ He removed a strand of hair from her face. She smiled, and closed her eyes.

*

The following days, she was sleeping a lot. Zedd took her on short walks out of the bed. Finster brought her potions and Rito brought in her favorite dishes. Progress was slow. Her whole body felt heavy, like a rock, and she had headaches all the time.

She wondered about the type of magic that had affected her, but could only speculate. By breaking a curse, a red magic of sorts had tainted her, just like Zedd, but the spell hadn’t been as strong as the one on the Zeo Crystal.

‘Zeddie,’ she whispered one night as he was sitting next to the bed, reading.

‘You’re awake again?’

‘Will you lie next to me? Please?’ He did as he was asked and she put her hand on his chest. ‘I want to talk.’

‘It’s fine, you don’t have the energy. We can talk once you feel better.’

‘Don’t worry. I want you to know that I hate myself for bringing this upon us. For wrecking our future.’

‘We’ll be fine. Whatever happens, I love you, and we’ll overcome this.’

‘Zedd, listen to me,’ she looked up at him, and paused. ‘If you want to leave me for someone else, I understand. You want a child. I shouldn’t keep you.’

‘Stop. I want to stay with you. I would only consider having a child with you. And you were right. It was a foolish wish. I was a fool.’

‘No, you weren’t,’ she smiled. ‘If I could turn back time…’

‘But we can’t. Please don’t keep solving all of these things by yourself. No good comes from it. I need you to talk to me, and trust me. Please, from now on, no more crazy ideas. No more doing things behind my back. Let me help you. Let’s be partners.’

She put her hand on his heart. ‘Partners, I swear.’ Her kiss was delicate.

‘Do you think you are ready to…’ He placed his hand on her chest.

‘Yes, I can do it,’ she confirmed.

His hand went under her nightgown where he gently strokes her breast. They had very slow sex, quietly, so that her father or Finster didn’t hear it. His gestures were firm, like he wanted to push the red magic straight out of her, like he wanted to undo their past fights, and make her aware of just how precious she was to him.

‘I hope you can forgive me one day,’ she whispered afterwards.

‘With time, perhaps,’ he said softly. ‘But I don’t love you any less because of it. Only more, actually, because you always do what I least expect.’

She was quiet, and traced his finger cuffs and veins slowly. He couldn’t quite tell what was going on in her head until she smiled.


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Many years later, Rita and Zedd become human, and have a son. The wizard pays them a visit.

Their hands touched when they danced. Dust and sand was flying everywhere. Even though they looked completely different, it felt familiar. Rita wanted it to last forever.

When he kissed her, she felt that deep down, there was still some magic in her. It was good and warm. It emerged from her fingertips, and surrounded the both of them. She couldn’t quite place it. Her skin was full of electricity.

He didn’t respond to her kiss immediately, which frightened her. Did he want this? Was it too different from him? Did they change too much? She started to pull back already when he placed his hands on her cheeks and leaned into it. He softly responded her kiss and she deepened it. This moment mattered - it was like the whole world disappeared. At the center of the universe, there was just the two of them. No rangers, no dark specter. Everything was simple and beautiful.

Zedd moved his hands down to her waist and pulled her even closer. His skin was tough and a bit dry. It felt weird. She missed the pulsations, playing with his armor, and all the other things. He felt so different, and his touch was softer, weaker. It would have annoyed her in the past, but she kind of liked it now. She broke the kiss.

‘Let me look at you,’ she whispered. He was older but his eyes were beautiful. There were wrinkles. She wasn’t very good at telling how old mortals were. His hair seemed to be getting gray a bit. He smiled at her and stroked her cheek.

She sighed softly.

‘And?’ he asked her, moving his fingers through her hair.

‘You look handsome,’ she smiled. ‘Sophisticated. I have to admit, I quite like your skin.’ She dug her nails in his arms playfully.

He looked into her eyes, as if he was searching for something. Then he held her hand and kissed it softly.

‘Rita, I love you.’

‘Oh, Zeddie...’

He kissed her softly. First her forehead. Then the corners of her mouth. Then her neck. It was ecstatic. She had never been kissed by him before, and there was such devotion there. She had been missing out, and tried to enjoy it immensely. Her fingers trailed his arms softly until she finally reached his hands, and interlaced their fingers. He looked into her eyes again and smiled. She blushed a bit, and was surprised when he kissed her again, this time rougher than before. Finally, she touched his lower lip with her tongue, requesting him to deepen the kiss. It was a new sensation, tasting his tongue, his mouth. He was warm and moved sweeter than expected. She liked it. There was no aftertaste of metal, just something human and different that tasted completely like him.

When they broke apart, it almost hurt her. She felt strangely aroused.

It was good, she convinced herself, that they stopped making out. She felt lustful, but things had changed around them. They were mortal. But what had happened to their monsters? What had happened to earth, and the other villains?

Rita observed the landscape: ‘We’re still here, but the war is over, I guess.’

‘I am curious how far Zordon’s wave went,’ Zedd pondered. ‘Many monsters on earth seem to have perished, but what about the other planets?’

‘We need to check in with Finster, with my father, I hope they are alright!’ She looked up at Zedd, suddenly very worried. ‘Zeddie, what if they are not alright?’ He embraced her with one arm, and planted a kiss on top of her head. ‘How can we even check in without magic? I am panicking!’

‘Dearest, we will find a way. Perhaps the rangers will help us, now that we are mortal.’

‘Zeddie,’ she squeezed his hands. ‘Are we trapped here?’

*

It was hard to contact the other monsters. Perhaps they had died. They weren’t sure, and this kept Rita up all night.

She struggled, because she longed for different places and earth was alien to her. At night, she would often wake up in tears. There was a distant sadness. A craving for other planets, stars, and galaxies. A craving for magic and clay and possessions. Her body felt weak to her and old. Mortal. It sickened her.

She couldn’t accept their loss, but he didn’t seem to mind. His mind was with her. He could trace her skin for ages, exploring, placing kisses everywhere. He was so at ease. She often cried in secret, because she didn’t want to break his heart.

One day one of the rangers came to inform them that there was no trace of the monsters at the moon palace or elsewhere. It saddened Rita, but Zedd was convinced that they might have moved elsewhere, and that they could find a way to contact her father. He worked on this, but they had little resources without their magic. The universe suddenly felt very big, and they were estranged from it.

*

Years later, they were still on earth, and she was pregnant. Something was growing inside of her, and it was a new feeling. The thought would have horrified her in the past, but it felt like a beautiful experience now. She was very old, and yet she had never felt younger. It happened so gradually that she adapted to this being inside of her.

Zedd could stare at her, and her belly, for ages. He loved placing his hand on it, and feeling the little kicks. She had never seen him happier.

‘But he will come one day,’ Rita said one night. ‘And we’ll have to say goodbye.’

‘I’ll stop him.’

‘With what?’ she whispered. ‘We have nothing. No magic. We don’t have anything.’

‘We don’t have magic, but we have technology. That’s what makes the humans so powerful. That’s what makes the rangers so powerful. We should use it.’ He looked at her, and it felt like ages since had heard the sinister tone in his voice. ‘We defeat him. We tear him down. The rangers can help. We are allies now. I will convince them.’

He held her tighter and kissed the crown of her head. ‘The wizard will pay for what he did to us. I won’t let him take the child.’

*

When the baby was born, Zedd immediately sprung to action. He informed the rangers while Rita took care of the little boy. He seemed quite human, mortal and small. No magic, no curse, as far as she could see. She felt extremely tired but she enjoyed looking at his tiny hands.

Zedd took over at some point. She didn’t even realize that she had fallen asleep until he woke her, roughly. ‘He’s here. Take the child. Now.’

In her nightgown, she embraced the boy and ran downstairs.

That’s where she met the Wizard of Deception. He greeted her with a laugh. ‘So kind of you to bring the little one to me. Fantastic!’

‘I won’t let you take him,’ she said. ‘This is our child.’

‘The only one you’ll ever have. But it was an accident, just a glitch because you became mortal. You cheated the system. It’s better that you just give him to me. He shouldn’t have existed in the first place.’

‘Go to hell,’ she said.

That’s when the rangers beamed behind the wizard. The red ranger immediately launched an attack. To her side, she saw a familiar glance. It was Zedd’s wand, which reflected the morning sun. He looked at her and the baby briefly but intensely, and then joined the battle. His wand wasn’t magical anymore, but it surprised Rita how fast he was with it. He used to block the wizard’s moves rapidly.

‘Rita, get out of here. Take the boy,’ Zedd shouted. He didn’t need to say that twice. Just before she ran, she saw the wizard move towards him, and take the wand. The yellow ranger attacked the wizard. There were flashes. She couldn’t see much. That’s when she fled. And she was sick to her stomach when she did it.

*

Rita kept running, and held the boy embraced in her arms. She wanted to keep him safe and warm. She forced herself to be faster and faster - it was all she could think about.

But in the distance there was a voice. The wizard taunted her. ‘Just give up. Let him go. He’s mine.’

Rita ran, as fast as she could. The child in her arms was silent.

‘I’ll play games with him,’ the wizard said, but Rita couldn’t see him. ‘I’ll raise him so well. He’ll be evil, just like you once were. He looks human now, but wait. I’ll introduce him to his grandfather. His magic will change him. He’ll be more powerful than you ever were.’

Where was the wizard hiding? How could she escape him?

‘Rita?’ She heard Zedd’s voice. He was there, with the rangers. They were just in time.

She ran towards him. ‘He’s coming for us. Zedd, you have to…’

But the child in her arms was gone.

Rita fell to the ground, crying. She didn’t feel Zedd’s touch, or hear the rangers’ kind words. They had lost him forever. All she could say was his name.

 _Thrax_.


End file.
